Join us this Memorial Day Weekend at the Truckee Home and Building Show inside the Truckee High School. We’ll be in Booth 125 and would love to have you join us as our guests! You’ll find everything from tiny homes to garage doors to energy saving renovations to Metal Roofing!! Contact us with any questions … 775-225-1590 we at True Green Roofing Solutions are here to help you understand and source your roofing options! www.truegreenroofingsolutions.com

It may be an easy chore to forget about, but if you want to avoid expensive damage to your home, you won’t neglect your gutters. The purpose of your gutters is to get stormwater and snow melt away from your home, specifically your foundation, and thwarting that effort can have serious repercussions for your home.

If your gutters are poorly maintained, water can fall around your foundation and enter your basement or crawl space, which can lead to mold and other water damage. In winter, the water can freeze and actually crack your foundation. Higher up, if water gets behind your gutters, it can rot out your fascia boards, which in turn puts your gutters at risk of collapse and also provides an opening for animals and more water to find its way into your roof.

This is why it is critical for you to regularly clean your gutters and repair any sagging or broken hangers as soon as you notice them. If you have been neglecting your gutters, you may need to consider completely replacing your gutters depending on the level of damage.

Make sure your home is ready for fall with this handy Angie’s List Guide.

How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters?
How often gutters need to be cleaned depends on the climate and surrounding landscape. If you live in the Arizona desert, you may be able to go several years, but for those who live where autumn leaves fall, it’s important to clean gutters at least twice a year.

The most important time is in late fall after all or most of the leaves have come down as leaves and twigs cause most clogs in gutters. The other important time to clean your gutters is the spring or early summer as pollen, flower petals and seeds such as maple “helicopters” can build up. Also, most deciduous trees drop debris in the spring, so even those of you living in conifer forests aren’t off the hook. Those who live in heavily wooded areas may find it necessary to clear the gutters three or four times a year.

And it’s not just the horizontal gutters you need to worry about. Always make sure the downspouts are not clogged and that they are carrying water away from the house foundation.

Tips for DIY Gutter Cleaning
Gutter cleaning is something you can do on your own if you know how to clean gutters, but it can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Follow these safety tips to avoid damage to your home and trips to the emergency room.

1. Choose the right ladder for the job. For single-story houses, use a four-legged stepladder. You’ll probably need an extension ladder for two-story homes.

2. Inspect the ladder to make sure it’s sturdy and all the steps are in good condition. Climb the first two steps to determine if the ground is level. For soft soil, place plywood under the legs of the ladder.

3. Never rest the ladder on your gutters as they weren’t design to hold up to that kind of pressure and the additional weight can cause them to bend, break or collapse.

4. Wear thick work gloves to protect your hands from dirt, animal waste, sharp debris and other hazards. Leather or suede gloves will provide the best protection.

5. Wear protective eyewear or goggles to prevent eye injuries. This is important when removing debris because a host of animals and insects can be living within the debris.

6. Use rubber-soled shoes if you need to walk on the roof.

7. Get a spotter. The the best way to keep the ladder sturdy is to have someone hold the ladder while you’re on it. Another safety precaution is to keep both legs and one hand on the ladder at all times.

8. Attach a bucket securely to the shelf of the ladder with a lanyard to collect debris so you can have two hands free.

9. Use a plastic gutter scoop to remove large debris from the gutter.

Gutter Guards and Screens
If you want extra protection for your gutters and to clean your gutters less often,gutter guards are a great option to consider. But if you goal is to never get up on a ladder again to scoop out leaves, you are out of luck with this option. Even the best gutter guard systems require regularly cleaning every few years.

Gutter guards are designed to prevent clogs by allowing water to flow to the gutter while keeping debris out. There are several types of guards available but not every type is right for every environment, so understanding exactly how each system works will allow you to choose the one that’s best for your home.

Types of gutter guards

You can generally classify gutter guards into one of three categories: screens, inserts or reverse curves.

Screens are the most common and work by covering your existing gutter with a membrane that allows water through, but blocks debris. The screens can be simple, like the screens that cover your windows, or complex with several layers of fine mesh to block even the smallest of particles. Like all filters, screens will need to be removed and cleaned from time to time.

Inserts are the least expensive and easiest to install. These guards fill the gutter with a porous material, such as foam, which allows water to filter through while blocking most debris. Inserts will need to be regularly removed and cleaned, and smaller pieces of debris may still collect in your gutter over time.

Reverse curves are slightly more advanced. They direct water over a curve and into a small slit while allowing gravity to force other debris to fall off the roof. The best reverse-curve systems require little maintenance, but while they’re efficient at keeping debris out, they can run into water collection issues during heavy storms.

Gutter guard installation procedures and cost

Gutter guards systems can range widely in price from just a few dollars to upwards of $30 per lineal foot installed. The average home has about 200 feet of gutter and $1,500 is an average starting cost for professional gutter guard installation.

Foam guards are usually the cheapest type of gutter guard and require minimal installation.

Screens have the widest variety of cost and installation expense, ranging from easy-to-install inserts to very complex. Simple screens need to be attached to the gutters and roof with screws or tape and can be installed in a few hours, while more advanced filtering systems require professional installation.

Reverse curves are usually the most expensive option and prices can reach up to $30 per foot. They should be installed by a professional to ensure optimal performance.

Hiring a Gutter Cleaning Service

If you really want to never clean your gutters again, your only option is to hire a gutter cleaning service. This can be a particularly good choice for homeowners who have gutters that are difficult to reach, or who no longer feel physically comfortable doing the job themselves. No matter the reason, the most important thing is to regularly clean your gutters because the cost of neglect is too high.

The cost of gutter cleaning depends on the length and type of gutters you have as well as the height of your home as certain circumstances may require special equipment. Most companies charge a flat fee per foot of gutter, but the cost can rise, depending on the complexity of the work. Prices range from $75 to $225 for an average home.

Hiring a good gutter cleaning service is like anything else — you need to be careful who you pick. Check out True Green Roofing Solutions reviews at Angie’s List and visit our site at: www.TrueGreenRoofingSolutions.com . 775-225-1590

The term “defensible space” will be top of conversation again in 2015. With drought levels not seen in a century, we are again tasked with doing everything possible to prevent fire catastrophes.
Unless you’ve just recently moved west, none can forget the devastation of the Angora, Scripps and Oakland Hills fires. The result of brutally dry conditions and fast moving “fire storms” these areas and hundreds and hundreds of homes were decimated. To understand this power, picture a 3,000 square foot house burned to its foundation in less than eight minutes. It has been described by its victims as a “fire-tornado.” Forest fires can lay waste to everything in its path, leaving behind nothing but ashes, wreckage and memories. What can be done to brace against such disasters? When consulting the experts, nearly every fire authority on earth agrees that the best defenses against the spread of wildfire are a fire resistant roof and the quality of the defensible space around the house.
The following photos show visual examples of homes spared due mostly in part to their roofing choice. The haunting images lay a sound case for metal roofing in high fire danger areas.
“The higher the fire intensifies near the home, the greater the need for nonflammable construction materials and a resistant building design.” Simply stated by the NFPA, “The roof is the most important element of the home.” FEMA recommends replacing asphalt or wood shingles with a fire resistant roofing material like metal roofing. The simply stated fact is that asphalt burns. Great resources for residential and community fire safety can be found at www.firewise.org or www.nfpa.org.
Metal roofing experts can assist with non-combustible roofing choices – specifically metal roofing styles. As more people know about it, they see the benefits of quality products, the “green” attributes and the more sophisticated options available. Metal roofing is available in profiles that span the look of tile to shake to slate to vertical standing seam and many others. Stone coated steel roofing that saved this home, shown in the photos above, is a Class A fire rated, 120 mph wind rated, Class 4 hail rated product in various profiles with 50 yr appearance warranties and a lifetime, transferable material warranty.
According to Audrey Smith, metal roof specialist and owner of True Green Roofing Solutions in Reno, NV, “… longevity is one of the main reasons that consumers choose metal roofing. People are holding onto their homes and they want value … you get that with a metal roof.” Bill Hippard, executive director of the Metal Roof Alliance says “It’s the low life cycle cost (that enhances the choice to go metal). Few homeowners realize until after the fact that metal roofing can actually cost as little or less than asphalt roofing.” This is because asphalt roofing needs to be replaced two to four times as often as metal roofing. Moreover, you cannot forget the cost of yearly maintenance and repair for asphalt roofing. Over time this can add up to a significant amount of money coupled with the stress and time of looking for roofing contractors to do the work. Need more reasons to look into metal roofing? …
In states where homes are constantly exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and the effects of heavy winters with freeze-thaw conditions, a metal roof can save you hundreds of dollars by cooling your home and adding additional insulating value preventing ice dams.
If you are in need of roofing help or are building your dream home, the looming question becomes: Do you want to discuss making your house more energy efficient, never re-roofing again, increasing your home value AND protecting your home from wildfires???? If your answer is YES to any of these questions, call or email a metal roof specialist to start the discussion and learn about your options.

We are so pleased with True Green Roofing Solutions. From start to finish the experience was professional and reasonably priced. Our new roof is a Gerard Stone Coated Steel Roof. This roof looks fantastic and has already made a difference in the temperature of the house in this 100 degree weather. We recommend this roof to anyone
looking for durability and insulation in a roof. In summary, the business
of True Green Roofing with Audrey Smith offers an excellent approach to
customer needs and expectations. We highly recommend True Green Roofing
Solutions. Mary Anne Hawkins and Michael Tolles